


Queen

by CraftyBat



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: AU, Angst, Dark, Depression, M/M, Possible Abuse, Possible maturity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-03
Updated: 2014-05-07
Packaged: 2018-01-21 16:10:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1556312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CraftyBat/pseuds/CraftyBat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every kingdom needs not only a ruler, but also a queen to balance to soothe his rage and mend his heart, even the kingdom of darkness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Alright guys, first off this us just an intro into the story, kind of a set up, if you will. I'm ever diligently working on the first chapter, which I should have up in the next couple of days.

Once there was a man by the name of Tsar Lunar, and he was a very powerful and influential creature. He was well known for his ability to bring balance and peace to all realms he traveled across.

 

One day, Tsar grew tired of his travels and settled in a gorgeous spring valley, creating a kingdom he dubbed Lunarum there where all were welcome.

 

As more and more people came to live in his kingdom, Tsar had no choice but to expand his rule, creating one palace in the snowy, hardy mountains, one floating elegantly among the clouds, one in the thick brush of the forest, and one along the sandy shores of the beach.

 

But of course, knowing that balance must be upheld, Tsar Lunar also created a fifth palace in his kingdom cloaked in shadow and shrouded in fear sitting on the edge of the current beaten cliffs, for what was hope and joy without fear? One without the other would cause destruction and war; life could not be sustained without either.

 

And so with his kingdom established, Tsar created a neutral palace in the centre of his land, a place of meeting with only peace and no foul play in mind.

 

For each palace he appointed a monarch to rule in his stead, as he could not single handedly rule such an immense kingdom. To the palace in the mountains he appointed a man named Nicholas St. North to bring wonder and inventions of his own design to the kingdom. To the palace in the clouds he appointed a bird like woman named Toothiana to record and watch over the memories of the kingdom and keep the people in good health. To the palace in the forest he appointed a rabbit creature by the name of E. Aster Bunnymund to bring hope and new life to the kingdom. To the palace on the coast he appointed a magical man by the name of Sanderson Mansnoozie to watch over the dreams of the kingdom and allow their deepest longing to become reality while they slept. And finally, to the kingdom of darkness he appointed a vile and dark man by the name of Kozmotis Pitchiner to invoke fear and helplessness into the kingdom and show them their darkest phobias.

 

Tsar, pleased with his work, explained the balance to his new monarchs and returned to the moon, his home, to rest and watch over his kingdom.

 

However, the kingdom of darkness was singled out and rebuked for simply doing the very thing for which it was created and the other monarchs shunned Kozmotis heartlessly, banding together on their own to make their parts of the kingdom thrive.

 

The kingdom was wavering on the verge of destruction, so Tar created a new being, taking the frost from the mountains, the lightness of the clouds, the life of the forest, the excitement of the coast, and passion of the shadows to create a neutral being whom was meant to bring peace between all of the kingdom and right the wrongs, however, the other four monarchs took the creation, a boy whom he named Jack Frost, and hid him away from the kingdom of shadow, teaching him only the way of good, hope, life, and wonder, but little did they know that Jack already had the way of darkness nested inside his being.

 

And this is where our story begins.


	2. Arrival of the Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoot! First legit chapter of the story!  
> This one focuses on Jack's arrival into Lunarum and kind of sets up in a bit more detail the beginning of the story.   
> It does have a slow start, but such is a necessary evil in order for the story to grow and flourish into everything I imagine it to be. :D  
> Apologies in advance for any spelling/grammar mistakes, it's really late here and I'm too tired to manually spellcheck this whole thing.

It was truly a sight to behold.

From the moon fluttered down a luminous sphere of varying shades of whites and blues, rainbowing off in teasing flecks of what could almost be made out as green or red or purple. The kingdom had never seen the likes of such before and all who spotted to large orb were struck in awe of such a wonderful and magical thing.

It floated gently towards the grounds of the neutral palace, like a winters first sheet of snow, flurries twisting and circling about int the air around it. It was magnificent, as if Tsar Lunar himself were descending into the kingdom.

However such was not the case.

While all of the monarchs were nearly desperate to discover exactly what was landing in their kingdom, it was Kozmotis who arrived first, his figure moulding from from black sand that slithered snakily through the grass. Once at his full height, the man stepped out into the exceptionally bright moonlight, watching the orb on its slow, almost playful descent before it finally landed weightlessly on the grass.

Perhaps it was curiosity that kept Kozmotis watching the sphere with a certain lack of too much interest, or maybe it was a mixture of boredom and loneliness, but whatever it was led him to move closer to the strange object. He cast a glare up to the moon as he circled the sphere, studying every inch of the foreign structure before reaching out a slender hand to caress its surface.

At his touch, the orb immediately began to disapate into little flakes of snow, flying away in the wind to be carried back into the sky.

Kozmotis nearly snarled at such a waste of time until he looked down in the grass. Where the sphere had once lain was now a child, no older that five from his looks, with snow white hair and translucent porcelain skin. His eyes were closed, as if in some deep slumber and the only thing that clothed him was a thin white sheet.

The monarch couldn't hold back the look of surprise that eclipsed his apathetic scowl, his golden eyes filling with wonder as he stared down at the young boy and the new layer of frost the blanketed the ground around his skinny form.

He was beautiful.

The man reached out a grey fleshed hand, stroking the child's cheek to find it was ice cold, but somehow it felt like a natural chill, as if the boy was meant to have such a low body tempeture. Kozmotis moved his featherlight touch to the child's hair, enjoying the simple feeling of another's skin, someone else's form, someone that wasn't himself or the creatures he created in his horrific kingdom.

Just as a small smile graced his lips, Kozmotis leapt back away from the boy as a whip of golden sand snapped dangerously close to his shoulder, his once gentle features crumbling into anger as he spat out,"And to what do I owe the _pleasure_ of being graced by the presence of my fellow monarchs? You do realize it is forbidden to bring violence here in this place, or do the four of you intend to impede that law as well?"

Sanderson stood at the head of the group, his sandy golden whip poised for another strike should the dark monarch warrant it, with North towering behind him and Bunnymund at his flank.

Toothiana, the motherly creature she was, flitted over to the child, searching him over for any wounds or signs of damage,"Have you harmed him?! Tell me now, or I'll-" "You'll what, Toothiana? Coddle and mother me? I've done nothing to this child except watch his arrival. However it is you who attacked me," Kozmotis snapped, turning now on Sandy with a glare.

"You don't exactly have best impression of yourself, mate. Thought we made it clear you weren't welcome in the kingdom outside of your own district, Pitch," Bunnymund braved, holding his boomerang at the ready.

North slid his dual swords from their holsters, pointing one in the Nightmare King's direction,"Bunny is right. You only bring fear wherever you go, but not here! Now leave! Before we are forced to make you."

Kozmotis growled softly, chancing a glare up at the moon before a sudden revelation hit him. A dastardly grin grew over his features as he looked back to the four,"Let all here bare witness under the moon and Tsar Lunar himself! That boy is claimed to the kingdom of darkness, as is my chance of claim written in the law set by Tsar Lunar himself and just as equal as any other monarchs claim. That child is mine."

Toothiana's face twisted in horror as she pulled the small child closer to her chest, ignoring the freezing tempeture of his skin as Kozmotis slowly approached the pair.

Without warning North charged the slender man, a battle cry erupting from his mouth as he slashed and jabbed wildly at the man. However, the shadow monarch was quicker that the hefty mountaineer, dodging and sliding past each swipe of North's blades with astounding agility, though things quickly became a challenge as Bunny too joined in the fight, thrusting his trusty boomerang. Soon enough Sandy filed in as well, snapping his whips at the quickly slowing Kozmotis.

The dark monarch knew that he couldn't last too much longer against the three without fighting back, so he cast a gentle breath over his open palm, causing black sand to scatter and twist among the three attacking monarchs before form three large beastial steeds one could only dream in their worst nightmares.

The creatures prodded the ground eagerly, more than ready to fend off the threat to their lord and master, tossing their heads and snorting puffs of dark smoke from their mouths and nostrils.

As the tension in the area reached its peak, everything suddenly froze and all eyes moved to the boy in Toothiana's arms. He stirred softly before opening the most gorgeous pair of crystal blue eyes, looking first to Toothiana, then North, Bunnymund, Sanderson, and at last Kozmotis.

The dark monarch was pinned to the spot by that lovely gaze, ensnared by their beauty, though he quickly found himself further lost in the boy as a joyful smile spread across those full lips.

At that moment, Kozmotis knew the child was his, and no one, not even his fellow monarchs would change that.

Suddenly Kozmotis reeled backwards, clutching his burning chest in both shock and pain. He moved his grey hand to find it covered in blood, his blood, and a gash spread from his shoulder down to his abdomen that oozed the same liquid

His gold gaze quickly pinpointed the cause of his wound, North's blade, dripping with blood from its successful slice, before he created another single equid beast, mounting the creature as he cast one last glance back at the worried boy. Ha, why should he be worried? He would be well cared for and attended on by the four other monarchs, so what did it matter should one be wounded and bleed out -as if such a thing were possible for the immortal rulers-. Still, Kozmotis wondered how a child who had only just met him could wear such worry for the wounded Nightmare King.

Turning away, Kozmotis sped into the darkness on his black steed, silently cursing the four and promising his return for the child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, comments/questions/critiques?  
> I won't reveal anything that will spoil the plot, but if something is confusing or worded weirdly, it would be greatly appreciated if you let me know. That way I can correct it so it makes more sense. ^^  
> And yes, I realize that Kazmotis seems like a complete pedophile right now, but I swear that he's not!....As far as I know anyways! D: (would explain why he's always after the children though...........)
> 
> Friendly criticism is always welcome, but no bashing please.  
> If you don't like the pairing, you don't have to read. ^^


	3. Mischief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Another chapter!  
> I hope all the awesome people who loved the previous chapters enjoy this one as well. c:

"Now Jack, you must follow these rules! They are for your own good and well being-" "And they are meant to protect you," North interjected, efficiently cutting off Toothiana's motherly rant to the child they had brought to the avian monarch's palace. Jack sat on small chair, now clothed in slightly baggy apparel, and sipped quiet from his mug of hot chocolate, ever silent and watching the four with big blue eyes.

It was worrisome to the four, seeing as they'd tried all they knew to get some sort of response from the boy. Toothiana feared Kozmotis had done something to the boy, making him afraid to speak up.

No matter what they tried, Jack merely watched them, eyes filled with curiosity and a whirlwind of thoughts only the boy knew.

With a deep sigh of impatience, Bunnymund walked over to the boy, ignoring Toothiana's spat with North for his 'rude interruption', as she put it. He kneeled in front of the child, looking into those innocent blue eyes,"Alright, first rule: Never leave our kingdoms, alright? It's too dangerous outside of them."

Without waiting for the boy to give a response, Sandy pushed himself in front of Bunny, forming quick images of cliffs and 'x's with his golden sand, though it seemed to make little sense to the boy. Luckily Bunny knew all to well what the other was trying convey and chipped in,"Second rule: Never go near the cliffs. Only darkness lives there and it will seek to harm you."

"And _never_ under **any** circumstances should you leave palace at night! That is rule number three," North boomed, not meaning to raise his voice so much.

Gently, Tooth fluttered down to Bunny's side in front of the boy, worry coating her features,"And please Jack, as our fourth rule: Do not go into the shadows. There is a very bad man who wants nothing more than to hurt and scare you. We don't want him to do any of that, alright?"

Still, silence was the only reward the four received. Though some new thought seemed to have entered the child's mind as his brow creased just slightly.

The monarchs all moved to leave the room, letting the boy have space and time to grow accustomed to the new surroundings, but they suddenly halted in their step as the tempeture of the room dropped below zero within a heartbeat.

"He is not dangerous. Why are you so mean to him?"

All four whipped around to stare at the child in awe, amazed not only that he'd finally spoken, but that the floor around his chair was frozen over as well as his once steaming cup of cocoa. His face was crumpled in sadness, tears freezing as they fell from his eyes and landed on the floor with sad little chimes.

-  
\---  
\-----  
13 years later  
\-----  
\---  
-

Over the kingdom, riding through the winds came a young man of eighteen, his short white hair flying wildly as he floated and zipped through the air weightlessly along the currents. He hooted and hollered, thoroughly enjoying himself until an all too familiar figure fluttered through the air to meet him, a small bird like creature that looked alarmingly close in resemblance to the sky monarch.

It was one of Toothiana's servants, a tiny humanoid creature that was almost as odd as it was cute.

The boy held out a finger for the critter to land on, letting himself float in the wind contently,"Hey there, Baby Tooth, have something to tell me?" The creature nodded fervently before pulling out a note from the small satchel at its side and handing it to the male.

With a sigh, he unrolled the tiny note and read it:

 _Jack!  
Get back up to the palace immediately! I've sent Baby Tooth to insure you make it back without distractions. I know I've been busy, and I'm sorry. When you get back I'll take some time off from paper work and we can_ -

Jack sighed, crumpling and tossing the note behind him to fall back down to the earth. He was tired of the excuses and having promises to him broken. One thing or another would come up and his company would leave to go attend to "more urgent matters". Was he not urgent enough?

And it wasn't just Toothiana, all of his guardians did it! Well, all except one who was no longer with them.

A frown eclipsed Jack's features as he pushed the thought of Sandy away and turned his attention back to Baby Tooth,"Think she might actually keep her word this time? 'Cause I don't. None of them ever will... I just wish they'd pay more attention to me. I'm not just some piece of furniture they can set somewhere and mess with when convenient; I'm tired of waiting for them to notice me."

Baby Tooth tweeted in understanding, moving to land on the boy's nose playfully, but Jack was a bit too sad to feel any joy right now. He wanted one of his foster parents to actually come and do something with him other than shout for him to return to the palace.

What he needed was something to grab their attention; a bit of trouble.

A grin on his pale lips and nothing but mischief on his mind, Jack sped his descent to the ground, tucking Baby Tooth into the pocket of his less than grand pullover. His destination was the neutral grounds, somewhere he was forbidden from going, but why he had no idea. He only had vague memories of a tall dark man with golden eyes from that place, but who the man was, Jack couldn't recall. It had been so long since that day and Jack had done and seen so much between then and now that it didn't surprise him much that he didn't remember too well.

As the ground grew close, Jack slowed his descent, floating in a feather light manner until his bare feet touched the cool, spring grass. No matter how his guardians had tried, Jack refused to where shoes. They were confining and uncomfortable. It would be like Bunny stuffing his ears into a cap, or Toothiana tucking her wings into a jacket; or so Jack argued.

Jack was deaf to Baby Tooth's desperate squeaks and tweets, warning him that they needed to return, instead the boy walked around the grounds with a smile, wondering why he wasn't allowed in such a nice place.

Suddenly Jack was drawn from the wonder of his surroundings as Baby crawled into his pocket once more, shuddering in a manner that seemed to be more than a chill.

The boy quickly spun around, searching for what could cause Baby Tooth to become so frightened, though all he could see was the pleasant small amount of brush, a few statues to Lunar, and of course, the main attraction of these grounds, the neutral palace.

" _Jack_..."

The teen felt an uncontrollable shudder wreck his form at the deep tenor that called his name, blue eyes searching around for its owner. He reached a hand inside his pocket, gently holding Baby as if the critter could calm him. But nothing could mask the mixture of fear and nostalgia that plagued him.

" _You fear me? How anti climatic, Jack. I expected something more, but do not worry, I mean you no harm._ "

The boy swallowed hard, something deep inside of him growing out of the fear, something foreign to the boy, but enticing all the same. It was as if he knew whatever it was that spoke to him, knew that his words were true, and knew that they were meant to meet.

"If there's no reason to fear you, then come out. It'd at least be reassuring to know I'm talking to an actual person rather than a faceless voice,"Jack called, though he was sure the voice would have heard him even if he'd whispered.

The teen suddenly froze, a chill crawling up his spine as if someone were standing behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and Jack's insides squirmed in both fear and excitement as his heart pounded hard enough in his chest to burst.

"I suppose I will indulge you then. After all, it has been quite some time, hasn't it Jack," the voice cooed beside his face, warm breath tickling his ear and cheek and making the boy flush.

Jack quickly spun around, taking a step back before his eyes widened at the the sight before him.

A man, adorned in black with warm golden eyes and smooth grey skin, stood where the boy's back had been only moments ago, those earie, yet beautiful eyes piercing into Jack's and betraying the face of apathy they were attached to. Excitement spun in their golden depths, mixed with eagerness and some emotion Jack had never seen before, but he deeply longed to discover that secret feeling he'd never been exposed to.

Suddenly the boy snapped from his trance as something important emerged as a priority from his thoughts, his enchantment melting to anger and hurt as frost began to spread around him.

"You... How dare you come here! You killed Sandy", the boy roared, charging the much taller man with a punch aimed at his handsomely angular face.

With ease, the man slipped past the attack, dissipating into shadow and materializing behind Jack,"It wasn't as simple as that Jack, but I'm sure your 'guardians' have been sure to fill that naive head of yours with whatever they please. Perhaps they even painted a horrific picture of me for you? I would expect nothing less of them, but you should at least know the truth before you accuse me of anything, dear child."

Jack turned slowly towards the man once more, trying to comprehend everything he was hearing.

Was all that the monarchs had told a lie? And what was so significant about Sandy's death besides the fact that it had happened at this man's hands; Pitch's hands.

Noticing that he now had the boy's attention, Kozmotis looked up into they sky, trying to find where he should begin,"You probably don't remember much from your arrival, but you were handcrafted and sent here by Tsar lunar to right a terrible wrong. You are supposed to bring balance, Jack. However, my fellow monarchs have yet to see how very much they're tipping the scale, especially so by hiding you away from me."

"Wait! What do you mean? They weren't hiding me, they were protecting me," Jack argued, snapping around to stare down the Nightmare King in confusion and disbelief.

Eyeing the boy, Kozmotis let a grin cross his lips,"Or so they led you to believe. Has it ever crossed your mind to wonder why I haven't moved to take over the other palaces as I have Sanderson's? It's because there must be a balance. If there is too much fear, then people will crumble and whither away, but if there is no fear, then they can't hope to survive in the hard times life presents them. It goes both ways, you see. But I won't pretend that a world full of pure fear doesn't sound appealing, though tipping the balance too much will destroy everything."

The teen took a moment to absorb all of this in, trying to figure out where he and Sandy fit into all of this, but he only managed to confuse himself further. "I...I don't understand,"he admitted, looking to Kozmotis with pleading eyes, wanting the answers he couldn't piece together with the little information he was given.

The dark monarch placed a gentle grey hand against Jack's cheek, stroking the pale flesh with his thumb,"Oh Jack, I would so love to answer all your questions, but it seems we've run out of time. When we meet again, I'll tell you more."

Before the boy could speak, Kozmotis pressed his lips against the others, stealing a kiss as he murmured quietly against those soft lips," _My Queen_."

Jack barely had time to enjoy the intimate contact before the lips that once held his disappeared. As he stared ahead, too stunned to move, the deep red blush of a virgin spread across his face and even dusting his ears.

In all his life, Jack had never experienced something as wonderful as that kiss, and now he wanted more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, go ahead, shoot me now for the lack of ooey-gooey love, but Pitch isn't the type to be lovey-dovey, so get over it!
> 
> I see him as a cruel and calculative bastard who likes to manipulate others, so that's how I'll portray him in this story. c:
> 
> If you're confused a bit, then you're right where I want you to be! :D  
> I'm going to do flash backs of important story events at the beginning of each chapter, so fear not! All will be explained~.
> 
> Anywho, thoughts/comments/questions, post 'em all. Let me know what you think if it so far and how my writing skills are.  
> I aim to better them, so feel free to leave friendly critiques.  
> No bashing though, please! If you don't like the pairing, don't read.


	4. The Beginning of Want

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, please don't expect much from this chapter, I feel like it may be the worst one so far since I pushed through writers block to get it out. :I

"So old 'friend', is this the balance you spoke of? Because it seems to be rather one sided," the dark monarch snarled, lounged lazily on his throne as a short, round man walked proudly towards him.

A smile greeted Kozmotis, one that even sent a tiny shudder through the Nightmare King himself, as well as eyes that glowed just as fiercely as his own.

"Calm yourself friend, am I not here at your request? My promise of balance has not been forgotten, Kozmotis. That child though, wasn't he spectacular? Such an adorable little pet,"the male spoke in a sickeningly sweet tone, though his face showed sincere love,"But what father wouldn't be proud of their child?"

At those words, Kozmotis threw his head back in maniacal laughter, taking several moments to compose himself, though his guest seemed to have much less of a humorous attitude.

"Oh you must forgive me, but I was wondering what sort of a 'father' just casts his son off into a world that's about to crumble. Well, it seems I know now. But yes, the child was rather wonderful, though it seems I'll know nothing more since your other monarchs have not only broken one of your laws, but two, and yet they still go unpunished. You plan to let them get away with it and let your own kingdom crumble? How very noble,"Kozmotis spat, twirling his sand around his fingers as if it held more interest than the man before him.

The smaller man narrowed his eyes as he stared down his monarch,"You always were blind when you didn't get what you wanted. Stop throwing a tantrum, it isn't becoming of the man I placed in charge of this part of the kingdom-" "Kingdom? If it has slipped your notice, _friend_ , there isn't much of a kingdom left here. Only dusty bones and nightmares live at these cliffs," the Nightmare King inturupted.

Kozmotis was in no mood for the other's riddles and puzzles, nor did he care too much for their meaningless banter, the dark monarch merely wanted compensation for his loses; something to even the playing field a bit.

"You truly are a fool! Did you not want that child when you laid eyes on him," the short male inquired, his eyes glowing with impatience.

The Nightmare King paused at the question, taking his own turn to narrow his eyes at the other as he wondered what the man was playing at. "Of course I wanted him, and I still do. That child, he's different from them, from all of us. He's not bound to the same demand that we are; he's free of the balance, able to choose whichever side he wants, but he..." "He was made for the darkness, Kozmotis. He was made for you," the other ended, turning away from the shadow of a ruler.

Kozmotis stared in disbelief at the man before standing with a growl,"Then why did you let them take him?! If he was made for me, for my darkness, then why-" "Because, it doesn't matter if he is raised with you or them, in the end he will always be unable to resist choosing you."

Slowly, the dark monarch took his seat once more, feeling almost overwhelmed with this new information.

"Also, when I went to speak with Sanderson about handing the boy over to you, he made me a deal. Until the boy is old enough to decide for himself where he would like to go, who he would like to submit to, Sandy will surrender his lands to you until such a time that all is balanced once more. Of course, the others will not and must never know of this, so you will have to put on a good show for us all, Kozmotis. I will come again another time. I must return, it's almost night."

As the man began to walk away, Kozmotis stood again,"Wait! The boy, what is his name?"

The man turned once more to spare his monarch a glance, a grin on his round face.

"Jack."

-  
\---  
\-----  
Present  
\-----  
\---  
-

"Do you have any idea what could have happened to you out there?! Had we not come, darkness could have taken you! Pitch would have harmed you, if not worse,"North roared, pacing in front of Jack with fury in his eyes, but also deep concern.

Not even a minute after the grey skinned man had left did the other monarchs arrive and bring the boy all the way to Nicholas' wintery palace in raging silence.

Jack merely stood before the three, his flush still lightly dusting his cheeks and his head absorbed in replaying the kiss over and over again. He absently glanced up at the fuming man, snapping from his thoughts with a blink,"I didn't do anything wrong, besides nothing happened anyways. It's not like I'm hurt or anything."

"That's not the point Jack! We asked you not to leave our kingdoms and you did just that! You even disobeyed when I told you to come back to the palace, and instead you went to the neutral palace! You know you're not supposed to go there, so why," Toothiana pleaded, nearly on the verge of tears as she cupped Jack's face in her motherly hands.

Unable to stand looking into her sad eyes, the teen turned away and stared at the ground,"Nothing even happened. I'm just tired of being stuck inside all day.... And being ignored."

Silence followed Jack's words, clearly striking the three monarchs with guilt.

It was true though, the boy had been neglected because they were all too busy running their parts of the kingdom and trying to keep Jack out of both their hair and trouble at the same time. It wasn't fair to the boy, and they all knew it.

"Jack, I think it's time you came and stayed with me for a while. It's more stable in my kingdom and-" "And what? You'll spend time with me? All of you keep promising and promising you won't ignore me, that you'll do stuff with me, but it's always a lie! I'm sick of being treated like a piece of furniture," the boy snapped at Bunnymund as the other had tried to comfort him, frost gathering at his feet and quickly spreading around him.

However the towering rabbit didn't seem to take too well to the teen's remarks and let a scowl cross his features before placing a paw on Jack's shoulder,"Jack, come on. We're going."

The boy scoffed, shrugging off Bunny's paw as he stormed out of the palace, ice forming into pointy little urchins after each step he took and frost coating the walls as he walked past them.

Bunny sighed deeply, clearly worried about the boy's inability to control his powers whenever his emotions were roused. "It'd be best if I took him with me for a while, Tooth. There's a lot of fresh air and open space, plus I do have more free time than you two. He needs someone to work with him on his control, it's too shaky," the rabbit spoke, looking to the avian woman as she frowned, torn between letting Jack leave her and refusing the offer, though as North placed a large hand on her dainty shoulder she knew it was for the best.

With that, Bunnymund turned and hopped off after Jack, prepared to drag the boy kicking and screaming to the forest palace if he had to.

\---

"Jack! Actually try not to let it out! If you can't handle your own power it'll be dangerous for everyone around you! Now try it again and defend yourself without your power this time," Bunny scolded, motioning for his stone sentinels to approach the boy.

Jack gasped for breath, leaning on a large twisted crook as he glared daggers at the tyrannical rabbit of a teacher. Bunnymund had only given him this twisted old ghost of a tree to fight off the stone foes which, believe it or not, were actually immensely hard to fend off. However Jack saw no point in training like this. If he was to control his abilities, shouldn't he being using them more rather than less? Like this it almost felt like Bunny didn't even want him to use his power.

Before the boy had time to complain, the large armless ovals came bounding after him, all six of them circled around him and closing in quickly.

While the sentinels had no true attack, they could easily crush Jack just by pinning him between them, and he had to admit that it was rather painful. The last time he was caught between them, Jack couldn't help but to let his control slip and freeze the three that'd had him cornered to keep them from breaking his ribs.

Jack leapt into the air, trying to outrun the sentinels, but they were rather fast for being made of stone and easily kept gait with the dashing teen. No matter how hard the boy tried to push himself to stay ahead, the sentinels were faster and incomparably stronger than himself. Still, Jack struggled against what was obviously futile and struck at the stone creatures with the crook, jabbing at their legs and managing to trip a few, but he failed to notice the two flanking him until he realized they were too close for comfort.

With no time to react, the boy could only cry out as he was caught between the two creatures, unable to pull himself from their crushing power.

Jack could feel the lack of oxygen taking its toll as black spread at the edge of his vision.

Funny, the boy could have sworn he saw Pitch standing over at the edge of the brush line, hidden in the shadows with those enticing eyes glowing ever enchantingly.

" _Jack, are you really going to give up here? Don't you want all those answers I promised you?_ "

The teen knew he was loosing it now, but regardless of retaining or loosing his sanity, Jack nodded softly, picking up a weak hand to lay it on one of the sentinels. Immediately ice overtook its surface and not only froze the giant egg creature, but dug into the cracks as well and split the thing apart into several pieces.

At this all of the sentinels moved away just as fast as they'd come, dropping Jack to the ground and finally allowing him to breath.

Jack coughed and gasped wildly, grateful that he could replenish his lungs of lost oxygen at long last. Tears of relief trickled down his cheeks, freezing in little beads as they fell and his body instinctively curled in on itself.

The boy was deaf to Bunnymund's enraged calls, only focused on the pleased figure at the edge of the trees. Jack knew all too well who it was and weakly reached out to the shadow monarch, the overwhelming feeling of want filling him, though he was so naive and could only tremble as powerful desire for the man crept through him.

Then all went black.

 

\---

 

Kozmotis gave a pleased chuckle, taking pride that he had such sway over the boy without having done much other than whispering a few careless words to him. Though his mood quickly plummeted as he watched Bunnymund carefully scoop the boy up, his eyes full of care and affection that went deeper than a simple family bond. No, the rabbit felt something more for Jack, and not only could Kozmotis see it, he could taste it on Bunny's fear.

Growling to himself, the shadow monarch turned away from the scene, mentally cursing the rabbit. Jack was _his_ and he'd be **damned** if some indecisive rabbit was going to change that.

Casting one last glance glance at the beautiful face of his prize, he whispered,"Soon, Jack. Soon I'll take you away from all of this, and you will be mine. Not too much longer now, my Queen." 

With a devious grin on his lips, Kozmotis disappeared in shadow, his mind full of nothing, but the boy who would soon be his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah.... Lame chapter. -dies-
> 
> But after peddling through this one, my block is almost gone! :D
> 
> Comments/Questions/Concerns? Leave 'em in the comments.  
> Please don't ask abutting regarding the plot, because I won't answer any questions about it. ^^

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so let me know what you think? Chapters will be longer than the prologue, I promise, I just felt the need to concise it down since it _is_ just the prologue.  
>  Comments and constructive criticism are welcome.


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